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Designed in 1959 by the office of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the 19-story building at the corner of Monroe and Wacker was built for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. Framed with two-way reinforced concrete slab and drop panel construction, the challenges of creating floor openings is well known by engineers and architects.


Professional Services

The design firm of Ted Moudis and Associates (TMA) contacted K&H to discuss expanding an existing floor opening with a desire to create a feature wall that connected the 17th and 18th floors for the new Golub office headquarters. The plan was to remove the floor in such a way that it would require extensive reinforcing from below, and re-using the existing stair in the current floor opening.

Our team analyzed the space with TMA to understand the design concept, and brainstormed ways to achieve the design objectives while reducing the reinforcing requirements. While on site, K&H noted that the current stair was framed in such a way that it was possible to create a more interesting cantilevered stair in place of the existing 4-post landing. After the site visit, K&H performed a feasibility study based on our recommended floor opening arrangement, to confirm that no structural reinforcing was required. In addition, the stair could be cantilevered as presumed. The substantial savings from reinforcing was applied to the finishes, adding a glass guardrail and handrail, creating an eye-catching stair as clients enter the reception area.

 

Images Courtesy of Ted Moudis and Associates

Chicago, IL

Commercial
New Structural Design
Structural Rehab / Adaptive Reuse
High Rise

02/2019

19 Floors

Bill Ipema, Senior Associate II
Jon Carag, Associate IV